By Holly Desrosier
![Volt Center trade programs director and excellence award winner Jeff Schulze](/sites/default/files/styles/feature_lg/public/2021-07/Excellence-Award-Jeff-Schulze001.jpg?itok=ZPWFkGQV)
Jeff Schulze started his career at Craven Community College in 2013. He recently took on a new challenge as director of trade programs and the Volt Center.
Schulze strongly believes that hard work is the key to success. He finds great pleasure in giving back to the community whenever possible. He loves to strike up a conversation with anyone he meets and never hesitates to lend a helping hand to his colleagues, members of the community, and even complete strangers. He considers himself on the clock at all times and promotes the college at every opportunity.
“I always say, ‘loving what you do is happiness; doing what you love is freedom,’” he said. “That’s how I go through life. If you enjoy what you’re doing, it doesn’t feel like a job.”
The annual Excellence Awards recognize the exceptional work of faculty, adjunct faculty, and staff at Craven CC who go above and beyond their day-to-day duties at work and in the community. The Staff Excellence award recognizes excellent performance and commitment to the Craven CC mission by a non-teaching staff member. Any permanent staff members other than faculty and the college president are eligible for the award. The award recipient receives a cash prize of $500 and a plaque.
This story originally appeared in The Craven Community College Magazine, published Aug. 20, 2019.